“Alonso is a lion and can continue until he is 49 or as long as he wants”

Fernando Alonso assured at the end of this season that the course Formula 1 2023 This is his best year along with 2012 in terms of driving after adding 8 podiums, taking advantage of the second best car at the start of the year to climb the box consistently and do so in Canada, Zandvoort and Brazil with a car that theoretically is not there to aim for the podium. His final performance at Interlagos against ‘Checo’ Pérez, defending himself and winning the position in a ‘photo finish’ with a worse car, even helped him win the award for ‘best action of year’ in the world of motorsports at the FIA ​​Gala.

The level shown by Fernando at 42 years old, in his first year at Aston Martin, may have surprised many, but not Emerson Fittipaldi. Last year, the Brazilian legend was confident of the team change Fernando would make upon his arrival at Silverstone. “He knows what he’s doing,” she said.

Following his performances this year, Emerson Fittipaldi, who has always had a soft spot for Fernando Alonso’s driving, his driving skills and his ability to read races, He was full of praise when talking about the man from Oviedo in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo.

In it, the legendary two-time Formula 1 world champion (1972 and 1974) explains the reasons why Fernando Alonso is able to present his best version at this point in his sporting career. The key is in their preparation, but above all, in the “hunger” of the people of Oviedo and their mentality. For Emerson, there is no doubt that Alonso can retire at the age of 49 as he did when he left CART, or “whenever he wants.”

“Fernando is very good physically, and mentally too, he has a lot of drive to win and he has motivation. He is like a lion. He is a lion on the circuits. He is there to attack. He always finishes the races. In America, we say that the drivers like Fernando Alonso are “careeristas” (a racer), a type of driver who always advances when he starts on the grid,” the Brazilian assured this newspaper.

“I admire him so much”

“He is very fast and I really like to watch him compete. It is important. The competitive level of F1 is at the level of very important world sports such as football, tennis, basketball… if an older athlete is physically good, it shows that he still has the autonomy to achieve results at an older age. I like it because this is what I tried to do (laughs). “I admire Fernando so much.”added Fittipaldi to MD.

“You can go on until you’re 49, take it easy”

“It’s like this until 49? Of course he can. Calm, as long as he wants. He is well prepared physically to compete. When I was 40 years old I remember that I started a special diet from a trainer. You have to compensate for the lack of age in other things. You need greater effort, more physical preparation, a high-energy diet to compensate for the age of your physique,” he commented, comparing the Spaniard’s case to his own.

Whenever you talk to Emerson Fittipaldi about Fernando Alonso, his eyes light up. The 77-year-old from Sao Paulo can’t help but tell his son Emmo Fittipaldi Jr (16 years old) to pay attention to the things the Asturian does on the track every weekend to add valuable learning to make a difference in the asphalt. “Fernando is an example of resistance,” he told this newspaper.